Isle of Wight Steam Railway

Newport is just someones dream, the costs would be eye watering, and where do you go to, nearest would be the harbour, so new formation needed, a road to cross, then there's Wotton station Rd bridge to excavate, and the unstable clay to deal with, the costs alone would make it non-viable, unless some kind of grant was available to cover the costs of restoring the old track bed, diverting the path, buying sleeper and rails, then ballasting it, you're talking several millions,

 

It's actually easy enough with three buses an hour from Newport (and Ryde) stopping directly outside Wootton station entrance. The big confusion comes from both routes between the two towns sharing route number 9! If Southern Vectis were to renumber the two routes 9A and 9B it would reduce any uncertainty...

 

You've been Jago-d...

 

Entertaining as his pieces normally are.

 

Indeed, but it contains a massive glaring error. 100 bonus points to the first person who can say what it is!

 

Did you mean Ryde ain't Newport or Mickey Mouses instead of 84xxx? ...... nice vid otherwise.

 

Readers may be interested to learn that Israel Newton will be making the new boiler for W2 Yarmouth_"

 

Here's the IWSR announcement confirming that Israel Newton will be building a new E1 boiler...

'Work to restore the Isle of Wight Steam Railway’s E1 Class locomotive has taken a giant leap forward with the ordering of a brand new boiler from Israel Newton & Sons Ltd.
The locomotive is the sole survivor of her class, and the Railway aims to restore her in time for her 150th birthday in 2026.
The engine was bought by the Isle of Wight Steam Railway in 2012 with the help of a legacy from the late Mr Raymond Harvey. His wish was to see an E1 Class run on the Island in the guise of W2 Yarmouth in Southern Railway olive green livery'.

 

Really good news from the IWSR today, our colleague Pete Jardine has been awarded an MBE for services to Railway Heritage in the New Year’s Honours List, here's the announcement from the IWSR Facebook page:

'We're delighted to announce that our colleague Pete Jardine has been awarded an MBE for services to Railway Heritage in the New Year’s Honours List.
Pete is a long-standing volunteer and employee at the Railway who has masterminded our grounded carriage body restorations. Starting back in the early 1980s, Pete and his team of volunteers have lovingly restored our magnificent rake of Victorian carriages, winning many Heritage Railway Association awards along the way. After over 40 years service, and nine completed carriage restorations, Pete's contribution to the IWSR has been immense.
Pete can still be found working in the carriage & wagon workshop on most days, his main focus being the next Oldbury carriage – IWR First 21.
The award is richly deserved and apt recognition of Pete’s skill, hard-work and dedication. Our warmest congratulations from everyone in the IWSR team'!

 

Page N1 | Supplement 63918, 31 December 2022 | London Gazette | The Gazette
Page N20, bottom of LH column.
Very well deserved.
Pat

 

Fantastic to see Peter's achievements recognised, I've certainly enjoyed the fruits of his (and the rest of the team's) labours over the years. Very well deserved and also nice to see a C&W man in the limelight (with due respect to the world of steam loco engineering!!).

Sent from my moto g(8) power using Tapatalk

 

Due to an imminent retirement the Isle of Wight Steam Railway is seeking to appoint a full time Operating Manager. Details here: -

https://iwsteamrailway.co.uk/job/operating-manager/

Extract from the web page: -

Our Operating Department looks after the safe operation of all trains on the line, and is often the first point of contact for the 115,000 passengers who visit us each year.

A large team of volunteers includes platform staff and ticket collectors, guards and signalmen. Booking clerks and locomotive footplate crew also fall with the Operating Department’s remit. The Operating Manager provides leadership and day to day management of this team. A key part of the role is the training, mentoring, and ongoing assessment of staff, ensuring consistently high standards of safety, competence and customer service.

Experience
Experience of working on an operational railway, either the national network or another heritage railway, is essential. Hands-on experience as a guard, signalmen, or footplate crew would be desirable.

Skills
Key skills & attributes:

• The successful applicant will lead the Operating Department with the ability to inspire and motivate a team of staff and volunteers
• Able to manage the administration of the Department, including the recording of training, assessments, medicals and incidents. You’ll need appropriate IT and communication skills to undertake this role effectively.
• A customer-focused approach with a willingness to deliver high standards of service to our visitors.
• Knowledge of Health & Safety requirements, ROGS and RM3, and able to promote a safety culture within the Department.
• Experience of leading a team. Experience of working with volunteers would be desirable.
• Can work with all teams at the Railway, and can represent the Department as part of the Railway’s management team.

 

Well done IWSR, winner of the HRA Railway of the Year award.

 

A fascinating recording has been uploaded to youtube of 'the move' in 1971 - the only known audio recordings of the last steam trains to leave Newport before the scrapman arrived, as the Wight Locomotive Society and it's collection to Havenstreet hurriedly relocated over track unused for 4 years.

 

An interesting development:
https://iwsteamrailway.co.uk/heritage/conservation-projects/smallbrook-connections/

 

Yes, yet on another forum there is a thread about Island Line trains choosing not to stop at the station, and passengers on the IOWSR being warned by the TTI this may be the case.

 

Interesting debate. From maps the old line doesn’t seem to get much closer to Osborne House than Wootton station is, so that is not likely to provide a destination or any incentive to go back towards Newport.

However the point that Wootton is not itself a great destination (as it doesn’t provide much to do for arriving passengers) is a valid one.

I wonder, has the IOWSR ever tried laying on a vintage bus connection from Wootton to Osborne House? Would the Osborne House people be open to some sort of combined ticket with a saving on price? Bearing in mind that not all visitors to the island have a car; and once the Island Line gets its snails-pace refurbishments finally all done, there could be a developing market for people coming from Portsmouth for a full, varied day-tripper excursion on the island?

WIBN perhaps, but at least this kind of deal could be tested out as a toe-in-the-water experiment at no very great cost.

The other context is that circumstances may be getting more favourable to such an arrangement in other ways. It is inevitably going to be future Government policy to encourage people to use cars less. Electric cars are a step in the right direction, but do not solve most of the downsides of a car-based economy such as: particulate pollution (more than half of which comes from tyres and brakes); congestion on roads, environmental degredation, and land-take for new roads and parking; and the sheer wastage of clogging up streets with expensive metal and plastic objects which spend most of the time parked, and are never used to the extent they are capable of.

 

Well there is an hourly bus from Ryde to East Cowes which passers right past the gates to Osborne House. Wootton station is served by three buses per hour each way between Ryde and Newport and the service is a good quality one.

 

Whilst that is true, and if your talking in pure public transport options, yes it serves a purpose, just as Island line serves the same purpose, if traveling back to Ryde, or towards Shanklin, assuming connections can be agreed upon, But if you want something that fits in with the tourist and heritage side, I would think, having an open top vintage bus route connecting with the IOWSR at Wooton, taking you over some of the places of interest, robin hill, etc, on a circular route, and sold as an all in ticket either from the tour office at ryde, or from the IOWSR itself, might be an good idea, you could include island line to Small brook also,

 

There used to be a vintage bus linking Osborne with Wootton via Whippingham church. It was run by John Woodhams and used a Bedford OB, but at least 20 years ago. Don’t know when it stopped.

One issue with two attractions in one day is the price; unless you’re an English Heritage member (in the case of Osborne) entry is a fair whack if you’ve already paid for the steam railway.